1992

Gabriel Orozco believes that "very simple gestures and actions" can transform any experience, even the most mundane, into a work of art. These actions often result in objects that either cease to exist or change over time. In this way, Orozco challenges the accepted definitions of art and artistic practices. The vast majority of his work, which varies broadly in media, results from slight interventions in or interactions with his immediate environment, whether a supermarket, a beach, the streets of a rural village, or an urban landscape.

To make Piedra que cede (Yielding Stone), Orozco shaped nearly 150 pounds of plasticine (equal approximately to his own body weight) into a ball and pushed it through the streets of New York City. In the process, dirt and detritus from the streets were embedded in the surface of this malleable material. Orozco references many art-making traditions in this work: Arte Povera's recycling of prosaic materials, Earth Art's exploration of sites beyond the gallery or museum, and the engagement of the artist's own body in performance art.

Gabriel Orozco believes that "very simple gestures and actions" can transform any experience, even the most mundane, into a work of art. These actions often result in objects that either cease to exist or change over time. In this way, Orozco challenges the accepted definitions of art and artistic practices. The vast majority of his work, which varies broadly in media, results from slight interventions in or interactions with his immediate environment, whether a supermarket, a beach, the streets of a rural village, or an urban landscape.

To make Piedra que cede (Yielding Stone), Orozco shaped nearly 150 pounds of plasticine (equal approximately to his own body weight) into a ball and pushed it through the streets of New York City. In the process, dirt and detritus were embedded in the surface of this malleable material. Orozco references many art-making traditions in this work: the recycling of ordinary materials, exploration of art spaces beyond the gallery or museum, and the engagement of the artist's own body in performance art.

To make this work, Gabriel Orozco shaped more than 150 pounds of plasticine (roughly equal to his own body weight) into a ball and rolled it through the streets of New York City. Along its path, the form picked up dirt and detritus. Its many indentations reflect the actual topography of the urban environment. “I think the sculpture tries to represent the body,” Orozco says. “This idea of a vulnerable mass that moves and gets imprints from reality.”